We are the last
by Just Grim
Summary: Sarah survived the encounter with the soldier while her father did not, dragging some kid she was taking care of into her life and making them a sort of family. When the years pass and Tess pulls the two into something they didn't want, they meet Ellie. What will happen as the they travel together in this story? Well, here's what would happen! Read and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Sarah was asleep on the couch, though she wasn't snoring. She was relaxed and had went into slumber after waiting for her father to return from working with his brother, tommy.

But she was taking care of some kid for a while. Taking care of is used lightly. It was suppose to be till seven but the parents didn't come back yet. He was asleep on the floor, fell asleep at eight.

By the late night program, it was ten in the evening.

The boy awoke in the midst of some laughter on the television, and saw some man in a suit talking to another.

He never cared for this sort of stuff, he just wanted some cartoons.

The front door opened, standing in the way was a mature man, handsome in all honesty. But the boy saw him as some sort of action hero sometimes when he was over.

"Hey Joel." He said.

Joel closed the door behind him and then looked at the kid in surprise.

"Uh... Hey, Adler. Shouldn't your parents of came by?"

Adler hadn't thought of that. He started to cry, sniffling...

"Hey!" Joel said calmly and trying to sound reassuring. He hadn't dealt with kids as old as three since Sarah.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"They called a while ago and said they'd be late." Sarah said, just rising from the cushions of the couch. "His dads a cop, remember? And his moms one of those nurses in the old people houses."

"Right..."

Joel sat on the couch by Sarah, and scooted a bit so Adler could join. It was the late night show, and they were talking about some stupid political stuff that didn't seem important, just if movies are portraying this or that right, if violence should be banned.

He began flipping through the channel, searching for something else to watch. "Sarah, why don't you go to bed. Maybe take Adler with you so you can make sure he gets what he needs."

She sighed "but I'm not tired."

Adler had fallen asleep on her arm. Joel had looked over and let off a little chuckle. "I think lil' Ad is."

Sarah had perked up all of a sudden, and dug through some of her stuff that she had brought to the room after school. She pulled out a box that certainly had something expensive in it.

It looked brand new, unlike that box that once held the proposal ring of Joel's ex wife.

"What's this?" He asked.

He pulled open the box to see the ticking little trinket.

"A watch!" He said surprised. He wrapped it around his wrist and gazed at it even more.

"How did you get this?" He said.

"I sell hardcore drugs." She answered.

"Well, maybe you should pay the mortgage." He laughed and looked at her, she was holding her head by her resting arm. The two kids had fallen asleep.

Joel sighed.

He carried each and placed them in Sarah's room, the bed was big enough. Its just a small child and a twelve year old. But once he closed the door and went back downstairs.

.

Sarah awoke to her cellphone ringing, she held the pink phone in her hand and read the name. The bright letters read off "Uncle Tommy?"

She pressed the talk button, and heard her uncle ask for her father in a panicky sort of way. "Uncle Tommy, what's going on?"

But before he could explain, his phone disconnected from the line. "Hello? Hello?" She asked.

Adler had slowly awoken, rubbing his eyes with his little hands and opening to show his brown eyes in the dark. He looked over to see Sarah standing up from her bed and walking to the door way.

"Sarah?"

She turned to see the young boy get up and follow her, she did not reject him coming with her.

They went to her fathers room, she knocked before entering "dad?" The door opened a slight.

She went inside and saw that the TV was on, some woman was reporting on something. It didn't make any sense with every siren ringing in her area, and certain people talking.

Then the explosion happened.

Sarah looked outside and saw it flowing up to the sky.

"What's happening, Sarah?" Adler asked her.

But she couldn't answer the question. Even if it was clear, she wouldn't be able to answer him with all this shock.

The TV fizzled loudly and the two left the room.

They went down stairs to look for Joel. It was dark, but there was light peering through the windows from the outside lights.

Sarah and Adler walked through the house, something thumped up to the glass while their reflections showed.

They were in Joel's work room, where the back yard was; the light outside did not help pry Adler's fingers from Sarah's shirt, standing aside so she would protect him.

But even Sarah was scared.

"Dad?" She asked hesitantly. When she took a step forward, a man ran inside and slid the door closed. He was breathing heavily and looked at Sarah and Adler.

It was Joel, sweat crossing through his dark hair and thin beard.

"Sarah, Adler. Stay back." He said as he searched the drawer of his table. He had reached for his small gun, just a little revolver with a short barrel. It shined with the reflection of a psychotic man, running into their glass door.

Joel turned around and aimed the gun at him "stay out!" He yelled. "I'm warning you!"

"Dad!" Sarah called. Adler stayed behind her and began to hide in her shadow, breathing scared breaths as the man burst in; he tripped but still went after Joel.

The trigger was pulled, the man lied dead on the floor with his blood thrown at the walls like paint.

Adler began to cry into Sarah's shirt in confusion and fear.

"Y-you... You shot our neighbor." Sarah met her fathers eyes and froze. "He was fine and healthy this morning..."

"Sarah, Adler. He wasn't a person anymore. He would of hurt us. Come on."

Sarah and Adler followed him, regardless of their state and followed him outside to see Tommy had driven into their parking.

"Joel, I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!" He saw Adler and had a look of confusion. Looking up at an agitated Joel.

"Who's the kid?"

"Adler." His voice growled. "Let's go."

They had left the house and abandoned the place into the darkness. The car lights made the road a menacing thing, and the grass even worse.

The radio had been turned on, only a few channels had been on but were shut down soon. "What's happening?" Sarah asked.

Joel and Tommy didn't have a clue. And neither answered.

There were some people out on the road, saving their hands for them to stop. "They need help." Sarah said. Adler looked up to see the people be passed by, tommy didn't even look at them.

"You didn't even help them."

"Some one else will." Joel answered her, but Adler only got more cozy by Sarah as his mood got worse with the insecurity of these events.

Town wasn't any better, people were running from something terrible. And Tommy had to try and drive around them, it wasn't something easy. Especially when some stranger walked from behind material things.

"Goddamn it, all these people-" before Joel could even finish, some other vehicle ran into them; the car shattered like the windows, pieces were everywhere.

Sarah sat up and looked everywhere. Joel was knocked out in his seat while Tommy was outside. Adler put his hand on Sarah, she looked to see him with a few wounds. Tears had streamed down his eyes when he said

"Sarah..."

She picked him up and shook her dad awake. "Dad! Get up! Dad!"

His eyes opened wide to see the carnage of running people and fire. The violence was blinding.

He looked at his daughter and also saw Adler. He led them outside and Sarah felt something something bring her down. Her father looked to see she had stepped on some glass, her bare feet had a deal of glass inside.

She had made a pained noise and Joel pulled the shard out of her foot, blood was flowing out slowly. But she would only limp and they wouldn't be able to get out fast enough.

He lifted her up and put her in his arms.

"Joel? What about me?" Adler looked up at him as the chaos swarmed around them. He was desperately in need of Joel as well, Sarah's father looked over the place for Tommy. And in the nick of time, there he was.

"What happened?" Joel asked his brother in anger, his teeth gritted with every word.

"I don't know! Let's just get out of here."

Joel still didn't let his anger go away. "Next time, look."

Tommy told Adler to keep close and they ran through the streets, the infected were coming all around the place like those zombies in those zombie movies. They did seem similar, but they couldn't be that. Some of them didn't even have bite marks... At least not that Joel or Sarah noticed.

They were running for their lives, after all.

They had ran into some food shop and were running from a horde of infected that seemed to of caught them before the two could even make a slick run.

Tommy and Adler were standing outside the doors of the back way, when Joel and Sarah ran out. Tommy locked the door behind them some way, and told them to go on. He'd catch up.

Joel, Sarah, and Adler were running through some unstreetly places, it seemed like they were going to be running out of the city.

When they were up some small hill, there was a soldier there. He wore some black uniform, one that didn't seem familiar to either Sarah or her father.

"Go back!" The man ordered them, his gun trained on them like they were fiends.

"Please," Joel begged "we just got out of that mess of a city and-"

"Go back." He ordered again. But he suddenly began talking to some one else, supposedly through one of those ear phones. But this seemed different. It wasn't some casual call that anyone would make. It was orders.

"But... There's a child..."

He let off a sigh and confirmed the worst.

"Oh shit..."

As Joel was going to run back, to escape this man and make sure they all made it out alive. He felt hard iron go through his skin, piercing some organs. He let out a pained howl and dropped his daughter, who looked at her weakened father and went over to him as quickly as possible.

"Dad! Dad get up, please!" She shook him as much as possible. Till she heard the man come down and aim the flash light at her.

She froze. She closed her eyes and froze. A tear slipping through the cracks of her shuttened eyes.

She heard the sound, it rang through her ears. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the man had fallen. The gear on his helm had broken, a big gaping glass hole.

She looked back to see Adler, holding her fathers gun. His little hands were bug enough to kill the man, and he some how willed the strength to keep it in place.

She began to breath faster then she had, it wasn't in fear. But surprised that the three year old had saved her life and not Tommy, who only managed to get their after she saw Adler.

If Adler hadn't been there, she would of been dead.

She looked to her father, who was begening to breath his last breath. He looked up to the stars and saw each shine like the chaos wasn't even there.

But he looked to his daughter, who seemed to be screaming at him. He heard her faintly. "Dad! Dad! Please, get up! I need you!"

He looked up to the stars and said. "I know. I'm sorry, Sarah... I'm..."

The stars vanished from his gaze, the darkness swarming his vision like a bottomless pit. Till he could feel his breath leave him.

"D-dad? Dad? DAD?!" She began to scream and cry, trying to awaken him once more. Hoping it would work. Tommy was trying to get her and Adler to keep going, but she kept sobbing and screaming at her father.

When Tommy scooped her up, it didn't stop her from screaming his name and watching her own father; he didn't even move. He was lying their as his blood flowed onto the stone.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the years that had passed, Tommy led Sarah and Adler to some city that seemed innocent enough.

He stayed with the two and watched over them, especially helped Sarah to school when it was finally established.

She was fourteen and Adler was six when the laws seemed to get stricter. That's also when the fire flies sprouted and began rebelling.

Fast forward few years later, when Sarah is nineteen, she had been working for some shop; it was mostly selling necessities and giving few ration cards.

Adler was twelve and still doing school while Sarah had to look after him after Tommy left.

But eventually, Adler dropped out of school to become part of the special police force of that whole city. He wanted to help his friend as she had helped him.

But the years would go on just as they always had. And events will transpire...

.

Sarah was looking out the window of her dark house, gazing at a clear blue sky. She was thirty years old, her hair was tied back unlike it was when she was twelve. Wild years in a tamed civilization, she sighed.

She lost her job in the market and would soon have to find another way of income.

Coming out of his room, was a tall and well formed Adler. He had let his hair grow out as well, but his excuse for such an unrefined hair option is that it wouldn't feel natural.

It surprises Sarah, really. That the guard would allow the twenty one year old in even if he's rough looking. The guys a softy.

They hadn't left the city ever; Tommy had left Sarah with Adler but even when she wanted to follow, she was too scared. Its still overrun with infectos and she didn't want to become a murdering husk.

"Hey." Adler said, looking at Sarah with a smirk. "How was work?"

She looked at the release notice; old type of paper with a simple little message:

I found someone better. Your fired.

The rest of your rations going into the

Employees.

Its the Apocalypse, sure. But damn, that basterd was colder then the winters winds.

"Oh... Well, that's okay!" Adler sat at the table with Sarah and tried to give her his best smile. "I might finally get to fill in for some guy. He's dealing with something else, so I might get guard duty. I'll be able to get some ration cards."

Sarah sighed. "Adler... I don't know if that'll even be enough. We would of had a months worth..."

There was a heavy nock at the door. Sarah looked over at it with some hesitation. But Adler got up and answered it for her.

A woman much older stood in the door way, she was still a beaut, as Adler would admit. She stepped inside like she owned the place. "Adler, Sarah." She sat on the couch and made herself cozy.

Sarah looked at Tess. The woman was an old friend of her father, Joel. The two worked together or something.

"Hi, Tess."

She nodded back. Tess was worn down, had a scar on her face and some old rag around her hair. The woman was a smuggler in most things, some illegal actions were in the job details.

"So... Is there something you need?" Sarah asked.

"Now that you mention it, I came over to ask for some help."

"No, no, no." Adler and Tess weren't exactly the best of friends themselves, seeing as he wanted to stay out of bad activity. And Tess was in a lot of it.

"Sarah and I aren't interested in getting arrested and punished for whatever your doing."

"Damn it, Ad! Its not illegal!" Tess protested. "I just need some things from a friend who owes me some ration cards. I'll split with you guys."

Sarah stepped up and told Tess "if its not illegal then okay. I mean, were just helping you get some ration cards, right?"

Adler definitely didn't believe it wasnt something illegal. But damn if he was just going to let Sarah walk into some trouble, and Tess always got into trouble.

"Fine, I'll go to."

Tess smirked and led the two out to the streets. She had told them more stuff about the guy, Robert.

He had owed her... the ration cards. But he hadn't paid his due. All she wants is a simple conversation with the guy and then get out.

The security was everywhere on the gate, outside was a squad while there was simply a man in front with a rifle in hand. He was looking at the Adler and the other two.

"Wait right here." Adler told them.

He went up to the gate guard and showed his ID, gave some ration cards for payment. "Go right through." The guard said.

A vehicle came riding in and it hit some of these officers. Popping out of the vehicle was some molatov cocktails bursting with fire and covering these soldiers within it.

"Shit!" The front guard said. "Fire flies!"

The gate was closed off for Adler and he went back running.

"Damn it, Tess! You didn't say anything about any fire flies!"

"How was I suppose to know?" She yelled back.

She ran towards the street and signalled the other two to follow. "Damn it Tess." Sarah said. None the less the two followed her to some run down building full of people, who seemed busy with their own stuff.

Tess moved some shelf and there was a tunnel, the wood picked at by time and leading within a darkness that almost seemed foggy.

"You two are gonna need some gas mask." Tess said, pulling three of them out of her bag.

Adler glared at her with anger as he took the gas mask and put it around his face.

"Tess, why do we need these?" Sarah asked.

"There might be spores down there. Don't know, just in case. We might need then later, if not."

They went inside the tunnel, the darkness swarming them and hiding them. The shelf slid back in place, there was no going back from this.

It took them awhile, really. There was doubt from Adler that there wouldn't be any danger in the tunnel, it was a tunnel after all. An unknown tunnel.

There were those clickers in there; their faces were covered with all kinds of... Orange and cracked fungus. They searched for prey. For meat.

"Those basterds..." Tess said.

"Wh-what are they?" Sarah asked.

"Well, there one of the infected. They can't see, but they can hear really well and when they do-"

There was a loud clicking and a screech from the creature as it ran towards the three.

"Shit..." Sarah and Tess saw the thing get closer, breathing like some wild animal. But it ceased when its face caved in and blood and brains came flying like kaffeti.

Sarah looked at Adler, who held his gun in hand and put it back in its place. She realized then that he had certainly grown up and became a man.

"When'd you get a gun?" Tess asked.

"I'm training to be an officer, remember? Besides. I knew shit like this would happen."

"Tess, why do you need our help with Robert? Tell us the truth." Sarah, in a not so commanding way, ordered her.

Tess just kept going. The fog was thick and she didn't want to stand in there and talk, especially with the gas mask on.

They saw the light of the sun peer down on them, it felt like they had been in there for so long; its glare felt new for some odd reason.

They crawled onto the surface and made some more advances till they were inside a house. Tess told some small boy to check if the coast is clear, give him some bribe to keep his help.

"Alright, Tess. Tell me and Adler what is really going on." Sarah commanded once again.

The older woman sighed and handed her second gun to the girl. "Take this."

Sarah looked at the hand gun, a simple little thing that seemed decently well, and there was a curious fear towards it.

"I've never used a gun before, Tess."

"You mean to tell me that Ad over here can use a gun, but you can't? How have you survived?"

Adler looked at the woman with some fierce gaze. "Her uncle tommy kept us safe over the years. And when he left, I did. I dropped out just to keep her out of danger. Your lucky you know her, Tess."

"What are you saying, Ad?" Tess got close to the tall boy, knowing the gripping threat he wasn't letting out in the open. "You telling me your going to kill me or something? If I didn't know Sarah?"

"Damn it, you guys!" Sarah exclaimed.

There was a knock at the window, the little boy had returned. The coast was clear and they walked outside to the other side of the quarantine zone.

Sarah hadn't forgotten the question, but it would have to wait as they gotten closer to Roberts where a bouts.

A steel cage lined some way out into the alley way, brick everywhere. And there was a group of men who happen to be looking at them with some sinister intent.

"You people need to leave." The main man told them. He had a gun in the side of his pants, and he wasn't afraid to show it off. Obviously Roberts men.

"You don't need to do this." Tess told them. "This is between me and Robert."

"Bitch! Leave before I put a bullet in you." The man held his gun out, and the others started to get ready to kill.

"Look, I-"

"Bitch! I said-"

"Fuck this." Tess shot the man in his face, a pure bullet hole went through to see all the disgust inside. And the iron was lodged in.

The three went into cover, while the bullets began to fly over them. Tess shot back at these men, while Adler held back to help Sarah.

He pulled the trigger on who ever got close and kept her safe; even if she had a gun, she couldn't pull that trigger.

When the bodies were filled with enough led to fill a lot of pencils, it was safe to go on and search for Robert.

"So its not Ration cards." Adler said.

"Nope. Its guns."

She heard him stop, his worn down shoes not making any further movement.

"Fucking hell, Tess! That's illegal! Sarah and I could get executed for helping you with this bull shit."

"Its too late now, right?" Sarah told him.

She had her point. And it made his blood boil. "I didn't go and join the quarantine security just to get you killed, Sarah. We don't even know Tess!"

Sarah's blue eyes looked into his with a detest. "No, we don't. But she's dads- my dads friend. He'd want me to help her."

Adler just rolled his eyes and let them continue on. The place was swarmed with gun toting thugs. They were taken out easily enough, Tess was stealthy while Adler was forward with his encounters.

Tess saw the doors, saw where Robert was hiding. It was clearly his office because of the men they killed just to get there. This was the only place they didn't have those rats.

"That basterd should of hired some better Goons." She remarked.

Adler and Sarah watched as she kicked the doors down, some glass bottle was thrown at her. It broke beside the door, glass sliding to the floor. She saw the man just run from her while he screamed "Fuck you, Tess!"

She chased after him, and the other two followed. There was rooms full of broken items and pulled down furniture. Tess was chasing a man desperate to escape, Sarah and Adler saw that now.

Just what's going to happen when she catches him?

When they found the two, she had hit him with the steel pipe in her hand and was interrogating him.

"Who has our guns?" She asked him.

When he refused, she gave him another beating with that pipe. But when he finally gave her an answer, the words were weak and breathy.

"F-f-fire flies. I sold them to the fire flies."

Tess groaned. How that transaction happened... Didn't matter. "I can get them back for you. Just let me-"

"You know, I would of done that if you didn't try to kill me."

She had her gun in the grasp of her hands and she took him out right there.

Sarah had been seeing others die today. She'd seen a lot of people die in her life. As did Adler. But Roberts Dead eyes looked at them as the back of his head laid on the wall.

Those eyes made the two feel something...

"Well," Tess sighed. "I guess we need to find the fire flies."

Adler scratched his head. But Sarah asked "where would we even look?"

"You won't have to look far."

They saw a woman holding her wound and looking at them with great importance.


	3. Chapter 3

Where's Robert." The woman asked.

Tess walked from the body, his face still staring out where his eyes lingered. They were empty, and the woman could see that.

"Damn it. I needed him alive." She breathed out.

"The guns he gave weren't his to sale. They were mine, and I want them back." Tess ordered the firefly leader.

Adler looked at the wounded woman while she spoke with Tess. He knew her from the description they gave him and the other recruits.

This was the firefly queen, Marlene.

They must be thinning out if their own leader is resorting to criminal scum for guns.

"That's not how it works, Tess, I can't just give you your guns back."

"Bull shit." Tess scoffed. "You give me back what is mine or I'll-"

"If you want them back, you'll have to earn them."

Tess's eyes were like knifes wanting to cut Marlene apart. If she knew where to get her guns, she'd just put a bullet in Marlene and finish what someone else must of started.

Though, the sigh from her lips and her holstered gun meant that there would be peace... For now.

"What do you want then? Ration cards? God-"

"I don't give a damn about ration cards! I need something smuggled out of the city. You do that and I'll give you back your guns."

"Tess?" She turned around to see Sarah, a little disappointed in the woman she thought she knew. "I dont know if I want to be apart of this any more..."

"Yeah," Adler stepped forward. "Me and Sarah need to be going. Were not helping you anymore. Good-"

There was a bustling in the area, the quarantine security were on patrol everywhere.

"Search the area!" The command was yelled. "I want who ever did this in security! And who ever else is found is to be arrested."

"Shit." Sarah, Tess, And Adler said.

"Follow me." The fireflies leader ran by them and led them through an aged building.

They were running for their lives. Well, their freedom. Adler and Sarah would be put where most prisoners go, or go with the other prisoners. And be put down like rats.

Tess would be shot for sure, though. She's broken the rules several times and hadn't been caught. Possibly through bribing.

Adler shoved some locker down at the door side, Marlene and the other women watching. The officers were very near, one even by the door.

Sarah's breathing began to quiver in fear, just listening to the footsteps and the doorknob just being touched.

But he relinquished the doorknob and reported an all clear. Everyone took a sigh of relief. Adler and Sarah literally.

They Made it to Marlene's place, she unlocked the door and stepped in first. It wasn't as good as Sarah and Adler's place, though he had be benefits from being apart of the security.

Where as a firefly would have to hide and let their home go bad.

She fell forward and held her bleeding side, releasing a cough and trying to get back up. "Are you okay?" Sarah asked surprised and worried.

She places her hands on the woman's shoulder, and tried to get her up. At the corner of her eye, though. Was some young girl with a pocket knife in her hand and a savage look in her eyes.

"Get the fuck away from her!" She yelled.

Adler caught the knife in his shoulder while trying to catch her wrist. He groaned in pain, but he was trying to keep in his scream. The girl got him good.

"Ellie, its alright. There going to help us." Marlene explained as she got up.

Sarah looked at Ellie and Adler, the young girl had her eyes on the young man like a dog protecting its master. She seemed to calm down and go to Marlene.

"God damn," Tess began. "Recruiting kind of young. But I can see she can hold her own."

"She's not one of mine." Marlene responded.

"God damn it!" Adler finally let out. "I'm bleeding over here because of this crazy girl!"

"Fuck you, Ass hole! I didn't know who you were!" The young girl yelled.

He gave her a spiteful look and the two had some sort of staring contest. Sarah came over and looked at the wound of Adler's. It wasn't as bad as the fireflies leader over yonder. But it was bleeding and could get infected.

She learned that along time ago, when her dad was still around.

"We probably just need to get something to clean up and get something to wrap around it. But it should be fine."

She looked at Marlene, who nodded towards the kitchen area.

Tess and the firefly leader continued the conversation, and she learned that the smuggling job was for the young girl, Ellie. Her hair was a dark red, and her eyes were blue and pretty. She was young, but what made her so important?

"So, then. Where are my guns?" Tess asked.

"Back at our camp."

Tess began to snarl internally, her eyes glared at the fireflies leader. "I'm not smuggling shit till I see those guns!"

Marlene sighed. Obviously, she wanted Ellie to be out of the city badly enough. Tess watched the two converse and argue, but eventually there was compromise.

Marlene looked at the aggravated Tess who was slowly calming down with every sign of getting to what she wants.

"Alright. I'll take you across town, but I'm not taking Ellie with us. Your friends should watch over her."

"What?"

Adler walked in, his wound just getting wrapped in some cloth. Blood was seeping through but it was thick enough to keep from dripping.

But his glare was dripping with certain disgust in how he and Sarah are thrust into more of Tess's dirty work.

"I don't want Sarah and myself dragged into anymore trouble."

"Look, Adler." Tess stood up just to talk to him. Face to face. "I'm sorry for lying about the stuff I needed, but if you walk out of this you two will be in trouble. Those guys are looking for you as well as me now."

"Bull." Adler protested. "They can't want to arrest me and Sarah. I'm apart of the quarantine security! They wouldn't arrest me!"

But even so, Tess was right. There were witnesses that saw him and Sarah. And the quarantine security force were a ruthless bunch.

He never sided with them, he just got the job because it would help Sarah. Eventually. Though, not anymore.

He sighed. "Alright. Fine. We'll get her to our place and keep her safe."

Tess put her hand on his shoulder and looked into his disappointed eyes. "I would of done this alone if I could. But I needed help and you helped. So thanks."

He had a slight smirk "yeah, sure. Your welcome."

Tess smiled back. She left the place and followed Marlene.

Ellie looked at Adler and Sarah, and she sighed. "Are we going or what?"

.

"So you guys ever smuggled... Anything before?"

Sarah had a smirk on her face and said "I smuggled some chocolate from my boss one time. Does that count?"

Ellie scratched her head. "Uh... I guess?"

"What she means to say is that we've never done anything illegal. That woman, Tess, got us into this."

"Ad," Sarah said playfully annoyed. "You don't have to be so serious."

"Sort of..."

"Then I guess your friend Tess has smuggled a lot of stuff."

Ellie remarked.

"That's why were able to go through this tunnel. You'd think the quarantine security would find things like this."

Ellie looked at Adler, he was a lean guy. Why in the world did he keep his hair so long, though? They have scissors, but maybe he hadn't found the time to do so.

"Hey, Adler." He looked back at Ellie. "So you work in the security force?"

He looked back forward, and opened the tunnel door. "Yeah. I use to, any way. Now I have to get you out of the city, and even after that I can't return. Neither can Sarah."

"That sucks..." Ellie said.

"To be fair, I was fired from my job today. So I don't think I'll miss this city," Sarah told her. "Its scary enough as it is at night. And I thought the infected were bad enough." After that, she slightly suddenly got curious and asked "so, where is your parents?" That's a dumb question.

"Where are yours?" She threw back, sort of uncomfortable with the question...

"Well, I don't know where my parents are. I never got to see them after the infected got around. I don't remember much of them, other then father. He had some dark hair and seemed friendly to others. He was a cop.

I can sort of remember my mom if I think hard enough. She had auburn hair."

"Oh..." Ellie looked over to Sarah. "So what about you?"

Sarah took awhile to answer the question. She remembered her father well enough. The built holes were bleeding out through his back, where he was shot. The last words he said and didn't finish echoed in her head.

"Sarah?" She looked at Adler, who had a worked expression on his face "you okay?"

She nodded real quick like and said "yeah, I'm fine."

Ellie didn't ask again.

.

He unlocked the door and led the girls inside. Ellie looked at the place slightly amazed, and Sarah sat back at the table. While Adler laid down on the couch.

"Hey, Adler?" He raised his eyelids up and looked to see her still standing round while he was about to get some shut eye. "I'm sorry about stabbing you in the arm."

He chuckled a little bit. It kind of confused her, gazing at him like he should just say its okay or something. Not laugh.

"I would of done the same, once. When I was your age, I had a knife to keep Sarah and myself safe. Now I have a gun and had a job to do all that."

He looked at her, still waiting for a certain answer. "Its okay. It still hurt, but... Your forgiven." He rolled over and faced the couch.

Ellie sat by Sarah, who looked at her kindly. "So Ellie, how do you know that... Uh... That-"

"Marlene."

"Yeah. She's the leader of some bug group. That's like meeting the president or something. Sort've."

Ellie explained most of it. Just about how Marlene knew her mom and stuff. But didn't go into much detail about the woman that birthed her.

"Is there a real big reason for why Tess and, I guess us, have to smuggle you?"

Ellie wouldn't say. There was some things she left unsaid. She had a whole story in her blue eyes; they had red lines of veins, for what reason? Locked inside of herself and untold.

Even if they had become good pals real quick, some things are better left for later.

.

Adler saw it. The fire was still going from the night he saw the burning barn; the wood was turning black and the inside held screaming and yelling. Something was going down inside, and Adler was forced inside.

He had a gun in his hand and saw a stranger within. Adler couldn't tell who it was, nor where the others were. For some reason... He couldn't shoot the man. He kept hearing them scream

"what are you doing Adler? Kill him!"

"But... But... I don't know who he is! Who is he?!" Adler cried out. "Who is He?!"

.

"Ad, wake up."

He opened his eyes to see Sarah, she hadn't went to bed. Neither had Ellie; she was staring out into the raining night while the two talked.

"You were talking in your sleep again."

He scratched the back of his head as he yawned. "Yeah, you do that too. If I remember right, you said something along the lines of " just punch the kid already"."

Sarah shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Well, Tess just came by, and said to meet her back at the tunnel. We need to get her out of the city by tonight."

Adler sat up and grabbed his gun from the little table beside him. He looked at the two girls who were just getting ready. He took a deep breath. "Alright. I guess we shouldn't be late for the good bye bash."

 **I'd like to say thanks to stormfly, for their support. Those words have encouraged me to write even more, and so I shall.**


	4. Chapter 4

They traversed the tunnel through to the outside, Tess leading the way. This was apparently something she had been doing for years; smuggling cargo, things like guns and food. So she says, anyway. Adler has his doubts about the innocence of the smuggling jobs.

But Ellie and Sarah were staying behind, following the two with well knowledged gun use. Sarah was curios and yet scared to go outside, the last time they had ever been out there was when her and Adler were with Tommy.

Ellie, however, didn't see much to be scared of going out the walls of the Quarantine zone. It was just walls baring the way to a world that was probably just as dangerous.

When they emerged through the tunnel, rain was still falling from the dark blue sky. Dripping on the mud and grass, the river below seemed to have a pitter patter to it, too.

"Holy shit!" Ellie gasped in wonder. "I can't believe I'm actually outside!" She looked the place over where she was standing, as well as Sarah. She seemed a bit shocked herself. "Things really did change the last time we've been out here. Huh, Adler?"

"Yeah." His voice seemed keane on a professional type, just as his face. He was astonished by the outside as well but there was still things outside that might just be watching them. Waiting for the meal ticket.

"This way!" Tess said, leading them through an empty truck load husk. "The rains not gonna do us much good."

Walking through the darkness, Adler watched Tess as she led them into the rain again. Yet something wasn't right. If he remembered... "Don't do anything stupid." He heard, before the weapon cocked.

Security was still in high priority, as he remembered. There was an outside unit as well as an inside one. They switched off time to time, but Adler hadn't got a routine during his time with the quarantine security.

They sat on their knees, being scanned for infection. This was it, Adler thought. They'd be brought back and shot down for crimes of escape and thievery, Probably even murder.

He sighed, looking down at the puddle before himself. He could hear the stomping of the boots that would judge them.

One look at himself, he couldn't quite make out his own face. But the puddle was stomped into by the boot of one of the guards. He looked up to see the mask of a quarantine guard, yet they held the scanner away from him as he looked down at Adler.

"... Ad?" A feminine voice said through the helm. He recognized that voice, it was rough but he knew who it was. "Jesse? Oh... I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Same." She responded. "I didn't think you'd be outside without a uniform."

"Damn it, Jesse!" The other guard yelled, anger thrown down at her. "Do your job and quit talking to stupid idiots like this guy-" he was shocked when he saw the young recruit with long matted hair.

"Adler." He began to chuckle. Something in it didn't seem to kind. "Didn't think I'd be putting a bullet in your skull so soon."

That's when his fear seeped through his stomach to his heart; the strings began pumping heavily, his eyes widened and wired. "What do you mean 'putting a bullet in your skull'?" He asked, voice trembling in fear.

"Sorry, ad. Nothing personal. But you broke the law." Yet... Adlers tremble became anger rising within. "Nothing personal, huh? Then why do I get the feeling you can't wait to pull the trigger on me."

The guy just walked away from him. Figures.

Sarah was scared as well as Ellie. Their fear however, were in two different regions, but they felt it bitterly. The scanner was on Tess. "Look the other way. We can make it worth your while."

The scanner beeped clean, going to the next one. Sarah was clean as well, but she could hear Ellie whimpering. "Shit, shit, shit..."

The scanner went off hot, Jesse was stabbed in the leg with Ellie's pocket knife. Each stab piercing through and blood seeping down her leg. It all went down when Tess and Adler went for the gunman. But Sarah tried to pull of Ellie.

"Ellie, stop! She's done!"

Ellie took a deep breath and got off of Jesse, who was breathing heavily. Her mask had been pierced through; a hole where her eye should of been was bleeding a bit, glass seemed to be in their as well. But the pain left when the roar of a pistol pierced her.

Sarah looked down at the body with shock. She looked at Tess, who's pistol still had smoke from her fire of the gun. "Why? She wasn't going to get back up!"

Tess shook her head. "We can't let anyone follow us."

Adler snickered. "If that's the case, then what was the point of shooting your gun!" He then yelled. But Tess only looked at him with an internal snarl.

Sarah held the scanner in her hands, looking at the red tint over the black letters: infected. She looked at Ellie who had been watching her. She was probably scared, from her staring on edge eyes.

Sarah looked at the other two, still bickering about the gun shot. She threw the scanner into the river, its weight plumping through the water with a thud.

"What was that?" She turned to see Adler and Tess looking at her. She shrugged. Adler shook his head and let Tess lead them. Ellie stood by Sarah, glad she didn't say anything. But Ellie was going to have to answer about it, Sarah thought. Her smile doesn't change that.

They dogded lights and went for the shadow for protection instead of sight. When it was done, they reached a garage door, inside was unknown. Yet Adler and Tess pulled it up to let Ellie and Sarah slide in.

The thing slid up, not a very quiet screeching came out of its rusting. But it didn't seem to catch anyone else's attention. "Its the helmets." Adler remarked. "It really muffles the sound if its not close enough."

Tess scoffed with a grin on her face. "Good to know." The two walked in, and Ellie rolled the chain holder down for the garage to close. Meanwhile, walking through the shadowed halls, Tess thought she'd talk to Ellie.

"So what are you? Some big wigs daughter?" Ellie looked at her, unamused. "Something like that." Yet Tess wasn't done. "Okay. So what's the plan, then? Let's say we deliver you. Then what?"

"Marlene said that they have there own little qaurintine zone. They have doctors there that are still trying to find a cure." Yet Tess huffed without belief. "I've heard that line before. 'Still trying to find a cure.' That's a crock of shit if I had ever heard."

"How would you know?" Ellie asked her. "There might be a cure. You don't know!" She looked away from her and kept looking forward, each step trying to get this over with. "You sound like you know." Tess replied.

Ellie stopped and looked back at her. Anger was subtly in her eyes. She slowed down and went side by side to Adler and Sarah. The two seemed as focused to get out as well; each eye studying the darkness until they noticed Ellie was by them.

"Hey." She said.

They saw where they were at, the outside had some buildings as well, if not scattered by bits of rubble. "What happened?" Tess sighed, her arm on the window as she looked out their. "They bombed the hell out of this place, that's what. They tried to kill whatever was outside, may of only scared them within the buildings.

You must of heard it, they were loud and made some impact. Walls crumbled by the side impact. Its a surprise some of the buildings, including this one, still stand. The bombing did work, though. For awhile..."

There was something in the building with them, though. A sound of something that seemed to of lost its mind; an animal or man, maybe, making noises a rabid animal would make. "What the hell is that?" Sarah asked. "Are we even safe here?" Adler added.

Tess looked at her side, another dark hall. It was uncertain what was within. "Maybe. Just keep quiet and we may not need to notice."

They kept going, their lights on. It was a serenity of fear; darkness shrouded the path while things could be stalking them through the shadow. It made Adler hold his gun in his firm and wet hands. They stopped, looking at a carcass. Human, fresh. "Whatever split him open maybe still around." Tess said.

Adler and Sarah couldn't help but feel sick to their stomachs. It smelled like copper in their, as blood would smell like time to time. And it was dripping on the floor.

"I hate this so much." Adler remarked. "Me too." Ellie and Sarah contributed.

They went on, holding their weapons close. Sarah, however, held onto Adler. He was her protector; his shoulders were broad, his arms muscled from all the hard work he had been doing for years. She felt safe. Sort of.

The hair on the back of their necks raised as they heard the wild clickings of some creature. It was followed by a disgusting howl like growl. The three looked at Tess who ran to the room in the hallway. "Clicker!" They followed her behind some counter.

The room was lit up by the window, outside the sun was just rising. But fear was setting in Adler with an edge to his conscious.

He looked up, seeing the creature. Its face was covered in orange fungi, like it was being taken Over by a plant or something. It was looking straight at him, he raised his arm with his fingers around the barrel of his gun. Yet the creature looked away, going around the place.

"Here." Tess whispered, handing him a bottle.

He looked at it, dark and empty. He threw it across from the hall, a shattering noise coming from the hallway. The creature ran out of the room. Letting them breath a sigh of relief. "Why couldn't it see me?" He asked Tess. "They use sound to see, not their eyes. If you noticed, their face is almost covered by some fungus."

"Yeah... Yeah I did notice that. What is it from?" She shrugged, checking the hallways. "Beats me, Ad. Its almost everywhere, though."

They went further down the hallway, till they found their way down stairs. Each step made a soft echo down till they were walking through a set of doors. And like they entered, they'd go through another garage. Lifting to the door open, outside held a noise. And then it tackled down Adler, clicking like it had no tomorrow.

Adler grabbed its throat to keep it back, its teeth opening and lunging at him like a dog. Its mouth wreaked of death; months and months of eating anything raw made its breath smell of month old carcass. "Someone get this thing off me!" He shouted.

Sarah kicked its head in with her dirty shoes, each kick was swift. It was just like playing soccer. Except there's no goalie and the ball doesn't go any where.

The creature grabbed her ankle and widened its mouth. The gun shot rang from wall to wall, up through the roof. Tess holstered the gun and looked at the others.

"We need to move. Now." They followed her out the garage door, the sky was still lighting up. But as nice as that sounded, they had no time to just ponder it.

They ran as the infected chased after them. They'd find another way out of the infected path, but they'd also have to turn around to give them a piercing with ammo they couldn't spare.

"Adler, open it!" Tess commanded. He ran for it and lifted the garage open. The girls ran in, while he swirved around with the door above his hands.

He looked at the infected that swarmed them on the outside, there eyes as hungry as there bottomless stomachs. He let go of the door and let it slide down, a heavy thump leaving them with the beating of its wall like self.

"You got something on your ankle." Tess said. Adler looked down to see that a hand had itself wrapped around his ankle, as she said. "Ew! Gross!" Sarah squealed. He shook it off and let it fly off to the ground.

"Talk about lending a hand." Ellie laughed a bit on that one. Adler didn't know that would be that funny. But... It was kinda funny. They found another set of stairs, going up to reach the ceiling. And what they saw amazed the three of them.

Tess was searching for something while they looked at the buildings and tan sky. "Man, you can't deny the view." Ellie remarked. The sun was behind some tall building, a sky scraper as her dad called them. She always thought it looked as nice as well. "You said it."

Adler himself thought about what he was looking at. His earliest memories was looking above at such a tall building with his parents. He remembered the time he spent with them.

And when he cried, calling out for his mother in his younger years. Calling for his father when he didn't feel safe only to see tommy, later on Sarah.

A loud plock of a board was placed over the arch of the building, Tess sliding it over to the other building. "We don't have all this time to gawk. Let's keep going."

Before Sarah could follow Adler, Ellie pulled her arm to her. She looked down at Ellie, who had something to say. "Thanks for not telling them, earlier. I was afraid you would." Still, that raised back some questions. "When were you bit?" She looked at the others, Adler trying to make his way over the board calmly. "Three weeks ago. I'm immune, apparently."

"Is that why were delivering you? Because you might be able to have a cure for them?" She looked at her attentively, each patient breath waiting. Ellie nodded. "I hope there right. I lost a friend a long time ago-"

"What are you two doing?" Tess called over. "Come on!"

The two looked at each other and went to walk over the board, Ellie was a pro. Each step made like she's done it before. But Sarah was just trying to not look down. They went on, going through downtown. To the meeting point.


End file.
